Simpsonville, SC – It was a wet, mid-week evening and light rain was still coming down as the gates opened at the CCNB Amphitheatre in Heritage Park. Despite the weather shutting down a show at the venue just the evening before, nothing seemed to discourage this crowd, who donned rain ponchos eager to experience 3 Doors Down’s Away From The Sun Anniversary Tour.
Opening the evening was multi-platinum selling rock band Candlebox. Kevin Martin (lead vocals), Adam Kury (bass), Brian Quinn (guitar), Island Styles (guitar), and BJ Kerwin (drums) are out celebrating 30 years with a bittersweet farewell tour. The band was sure to deliver fan favorites, including “Cover Me” and “You” off the 1993 debut, self-titled album, as well as an emotional, in-memory honor with “Far Behind” to friends gone way too soon.
Andrew Wood (Mother Love Bone)
Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
Layne Staley (Alice in Chains)
Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees)
Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots)
Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave)
This was one of those moments. Standing in the rain with the crowd sending all their love back to the band and taking in the reflection of yesteryear, I thought back to my copy of that well-worn, self-titled album on cassette tape riding around in my car and making the next plan to travel out to Seattle for a weekend. As I listened to Candlebox performing on stage tonight, it was clear why this band exploded when they did. They continue to absolutely crush it three decades later.
Candlebox recently released their eighth and final studio album, The Long Goodbye, on Friday, August 25th via Round Hill Records. The album features the cautionary and hard-hitting “Punks”:
THE LONG GOODBYE TRACK LISTING
1. Punks
2. What Do You Need ft. Mona
3. Elegante
4. I Should Be Happy
5. Nails On A Chalkboard
6. Ugly
7. Maze
8. Cellphone Jesus
9. Foxy
10. Hourglass
Candlebox at CCNB Amphitheatre in Simpsonville, SC on 8-30-2023. Photos © Carrianne Elizabeth
Follow Candlebox:
Website // Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YouTube // Spotify // Apple Music
The stage was set for headlining powerhouse, 3 Doors Down, and the rain cleared moments before the band stepped out to bring their 30th anniversary celebration of the second studio album, Away from the Sun. An American flag stood solidly stage right while Arnold’s strong and passionate vocals took over joined by the impressive uplifting power of the band.
Frontman Brad Arnold shared in a press release, “Away From The Sun has always been a personal favorite of mine because of how much it resonated with our country’s service members. We are so blessed to be able to celebrate these significant milestones because we were very young making these albums, and we still have so much more life to give our fans.”
After two decades of being buried in archives, 3 Doors Down has also recently unearthed the original video treatment for “When I’m Gone”.
SETLIST
Running Out of Days
Encore:
Landing in London
Kryptonite
Follow 3 Doors Down:
Website // Facebook // Instagram // YouTube
Show Date: 8-30-2023
